It seems that taxi drivers going on strike actually encourages people to use carpooling apps even more:
Taxi drivers on Thursday stage a protest outside the National Assembly in western Seoul in opposition to Kakao’s move to introduce a carpooling service. [YONHAP]Taxi drivers from four interest groups gathered outside the National Assembly Thursday to protest Kakao’s move to introduce a carpooling service.
The drivers are demanding legislators make the proposed business illegal, claiming that the service will threaten their livelihoods.
The collective move came after a 24-hour strike on Oct. 18. The strike itself was called two days after Kakao made public on Oct. 16 its plans to introduce the Kakao T carpooling service and began recruiting drivers.
Kakao has not been dissuaded. After the strike, it released an app for carpooling drivers and added a tab for the carpooling service to its existing Kakao T taxi app. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but instead of trying to get the government to give them special treatment, it seems the taxi cab drivers should improve their business model to compete with the ride sharing apps instead.
I would love to see someone in the media interview a victim’s family member from the Cheonan attack about this protest in support of Kim Jong-un in downtown Seoul:
South Koreans stage a rally praising North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in front of the KT building in Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, on Sunday. The rally was organized by the Paektu Praise Committee, a radical activist group. Participants in the rally wear flower headpieces as they hold up signs welcoming Kim’s possible visit to Seoul. [NEWS1]A pro-North Korean group staged a rally praising North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, on Sunday, despite being reported multiple times for violating the National Security Act.
The rally was organized by the Paektu Praise Committee, a radical activist group. It was not stopped by police even after conservative groups filed complaints against the organization for praising the North Korean leader, which is a violation of South Korea’s National Security Law.
About 50 members of the Paektu Praise Committee participated in Sunday’s rally. During the protest, members praised Kim in speeches and dedicated a dance performance in his name. Some of the speakers were children and teenagers. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but what a disgrace the Korean far left is praising a ruthless killer like Kim Jong-un.
That is the question a KBS World Radio host asked random foreigners recently in Itaewon:
For military personnel, what I recommend is to get to know the KATUSA personnel in your unit. This will often lead to invites to go out or even visits their homes on the weekend.
Anyone have any tips on making Korean friends to share?
When the "revolution" didn't occur although pro-Kim Il-sung socialists dominated universities in the 80s/90s, they targeted younger students too and created Korean Teachers & Education Workers' Union under Kim Dae-jung admin. They teach false history & drag students to protests. https://t.co/HvKgNBSdge
If Putin wants reciprocal measures how about he tell Kim Jong-un to start shipping out nuclear material from North Korea? Whenever the apologists talk about reciprocal measures they always demand that the US drop sanctions for little to nothing in return from North Korea:
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, hold talks in Singapore on Nov. 14, 2018. (Yonhap)
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, talked about easing sanctions on North Korea in their talks Wednesday on the sidelines of a regional summit in Singapore, Moon’s office said.
Moon requested Moscow’s active role in efforts to persuade Pyongyang to take denuclearization steps in a “bolder manner,” according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom.
They had “comprehensive” discussions on the terms and conditions of easing sanctions on the North, he added.
In the 58-minute meeting, Putin was quoted as telling Moon that there should be reciprocal measures if there is progress in denuclearization.
The meeting, their fourth since Moon took office last year, came days after high-level denuclearization negotiations between the United States and the North were abruptly called off last week.
In Wednesday’s meeting, Moon and Putin were expected to discuss ways to get the denuclearization talks restarted at an early date, as well as measures to further strengthen relations between the two countries. [Yonhap]
At least Angelina Jolie knows what good Korean barbecue to order:
What is Angelina Jolie doing in Seoul?
American actress Angelina Jolie has been spotted in a restaurant in Samcheong-dong, a traditional area in central Seoul, by a number of people who shared her photos on social media on Friday.
According to the witnesses, the mega star was having samgyeopsal, the famous Korean style grilled pork dish, inside the restaurant at about 10 p.m.
“I just bumped into Angelina Jolie. She was eating Samgyepsal,” a Korean shared on her Instagram, with a photo of Jolie.
Sitting across from Jolie was Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt, the Hollywood actress’s 14-year-old son.
To the post, people responded by saying, “Oh my God, what is she doing here?” and “I can’t believe she and I are under the same sky (in Seoul).”
Jolie was last in Seoul officially for premiere of movie “Salt” in 2010, in which she starred as the heroine. [Korea Herald]
You can read more at the link, but it is thought she may be in town to advocate for the Yemeni refugees in South Korea in her role as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR)’s Special Envoy.
English teachers in Korea got to experience recently “Don’t Molest Students” training and they did not like it:
A seminar on Oct. 20 in Icheon Art Hall for foreign teachers in Gyeonggi Province offers “Tips to Successful Life in Korea.” / Courtesy of Joe McPherson
Foreign English teachers across Gyeonggi Province woke up extra early on Saturday, Oct. 20, many before sunrise, to attend a seminar they were told was mandatory. The seminar, held in the remote provincial town Icheon, started at 8:30 a.m., requiring many teachers from the far-flung corners of the province to find their own way there, as they had to leave before public transportation opened.
Joe McPherson, a longtime resident of Korea on an F-5 permanent resident visa, was up at 6 a.m., leaving behind his Korean wife and children in Gimpo and driving his car to what he called the “Dirty Foreigner Seminar.”
“This isn’t about career enrichment,” said McPherson, a restaurateur and owner of a successful tourism company who teaches on the side to make ends meet. “It’s because of the stereotype that we’re all sexual deviants.” (…………………..)
Throughout the talks, attendees were reminded numerous times not to sexually harass students, although little instruction was given on what sexual harassment was and how to avoid it.
“This reinforces the stereotype that foreigners are by nature potential sexual predators and drug fiends,” McPherson said. “Do teachers really need to be told that molesting children is wrong?” [Korea Times]
You can read the rest at the link if you want a good laugh for the day.
A handout offering tips for foreign English teachers tells them “Nobody cares about your own loneliness. / Courtesy of Joe McPherson
It will be interesting to see if the claim of upcoming sanctions is true or not. I always figured that the Trump administration would wait until after the mid-term elections before taking any tough actions on the Korea front. This rumor may be a warning to the Moon administration that the US is ready to take action if Korea tries to do any banking deals with North Korea:
US Treasury Department
A rumor that the United States Treasury is considering including a Korean bank in a secondary boycott in early November has pushed down the shares of major financial institutes, although the country’s financial regulator and banks deny the claim.
A rumor surfaced early this week through Kakao Talk and other internet messengers that the U.S. Treasury Department will announce sanctions against a South Korean bank for illegally trading with North Korea before Nov. 6. While not specifying the bank, the rumor said that the bank was notified on Oct. 12.
The Financial Services Commission (FSC) refuted the claim on Wednesday, calling it a groundless rumor. Local banks echoed the denial.
“The rumor that the U.S. is pushing forward with a secondary boycott is not true as we confirmed with local banks,” said the regulator in a statement.
The measure was designed to punish third-party companies that engage in illicit trade with Pyongyang. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but South Korean bankers have recently publicly said they will not do any business with North Korea until the sanctions are dropped.
KCNA: "Anyone, who values truth in sincerity, should instead ask for an investigation into the cause of Warmbier's sudden death soon after his arrival in the U.S., whose health indicators were all normal at the time of his release."
It looks like the leaders of South Korea’s banks are not about to break sanctions like the Moon administration has been pushing them to do:
FSC Chairman Choi Jong-ku. (Yonhap)
South Korea will open bank branches in North Korea only after international sanctions are lifted in return for irreversible steps by the North to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, the top financial regulator here said Friday.
Choi Jong-ku, chairman of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), told a parliamentary audit meeting that Seoul has not discussed cooperation with North Korea in the financial sector.
“Opening bank branches in North Korea will be possible only after conditions are met,” Choi said. [Yonhap]
